Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Dominate Grammy Nominations

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, an independent rap duo from Seattle that became one of the biggest hit makers of the year, opened the Grammy Awards’ nominations special on CBS on Friday night with a performance of their hit “Thrift Shop,” and then went on to dominate the nominations themselves.

The duo are up for seven prizes at the 56th annual awards, with nods in three of the top four categories: album of the year (for “The Heist”), song of the year (“Same Love”) and best new artist.

Male performers — and hip-hop acts in particular — were prominent in the nominations for the next Grammy ceremony, to be held in Los Angeles on Jan. 26. The rappers Jay Z and Kendrick Lamar also earned nods in seven categories; so did Justin Timberlake. The rapper Drake is up for four awards, as is Pharrell Williams, a singer and producer ubiquitous on the charts over the last year.

Also nominated for four Grammys are Taylor Swift, Daft Punk, Bruno Mars and Lorde, a 17-year-old New Zealander whose hit “Royals” is up for both record of the year (for the recording) and best song (for songwriting); in a surprise, however, she was not nominated for best new artist.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Grammys, used to announce the nominations through an ordinary news conference. But for the last six years, it has tried to stir excitement with a prime-time TV special with the rapper and actor LL Cool J as host. Other performers on Friday’s show included Lorde, Robin Thicke and, by satellite, Ms. Swift from Sydney, Australia, and Katy Perry from Toronto.

In addition to “The Heist,” the candidates for album of the year are Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories,” Mr. Lamar’s “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” Ms. Swift’s “Red” and, in somewhat of a surprise, “The Blessed Unrest,” a minor hit by Sara Bareilles.

For record of the year, “Royals” will contend with Mr. Mars’s “Locked Out of Heaven,” Imagine Dragons’ sleeper hit “Radioactive,” and two songs featuring Mr. Williams: Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” (also featuring T.I.). For song of the year, “Royals” and “Same Love” are up against Mr. Mars’s “Locked Out of Heaven,” Ms. Perry’s “Roar” and Pink’s “Just Give Me a Reason.”

Besides Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, the nominees for best new artist are Mr. Lamar, the country singer Kacey Musgraves and two British performers, James Blake and Ed Sheeran.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A15 of the New York edition with the headline: Seattle Rap Duo Dominates Grammy Choices. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe